Refrigerator Pickles

A refrigerator pickle is one of the most simple canning processes and is perfect for small batch pickling. All you need are a few jars, brine, some produce and a few spices. These three easy pickling recipes for cucumbers, string beans and beets are simple, quick and easy! ‘Tis the season for canning!

I had some cucumbers growing in the back yard and I also received a number of beets and string beans from my local bounty box. So I decided to make three different varieties of pickles. All of these pickles should last for about a month in the fridge.

I first started by making a brine to use as a base for each of the recipes.

Brine

6 cups pure white vinegar 5%
6 cups water
8 tbsp kosher salt

Bring the vinegar, water and salt to a boil in a large pot. Boil and stir until salt is dissolved. Allow to cool. You can make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge. This makes 3L of brine, enough to make about 6, 1L jars for canning.

Prepare You Jars

I picked up some 1L jars from the Mustard Seed Coop. To prepare your jars, you want to sterilize them with boiling water or wash them in a dish washer along with the lids. Let them cool and set them aside for pickling!

Refrigerator Beets

First, roast your beets by preheating your oven to 375. Clean the beets, trim the ends and rub them with olive oil (if they are different in size, cut larger beets to be about the same size as the smaller beets). Place them on a tinfoil lined baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes until tender with a knife. Remove from the oven and allow the beets to cool. Once cool, remove the skins and slice the beets to the desired size.

Add the cloves and cinnamon to the jar. Add the sliced beets.

Pour cooled brine into the jar, just up to the first set of rings. Put the lid on and place in the fridge for 24-hours. Eat and enjoy!